20 Black-Owned Makeup Brands to Add to Your Makeup Bag

Founder Tisha Thompson had a goal of diversifying the clean beauty space. So, she created a clean beauty brand with formulas that contained skin-benefiting ingredients and included people of all skin tones. LYS Beauty became “the first Black-owned Sephora Clean Makeup brand,” according to its website , and now offers a range of vegan, cruelty-free, and affordable products that are 100 percent gluten-free, talc-free, fragrance-free, mineral-oil-free, and SLS-free.

CEO and founder of Ami Colé, Diarrha N’diaye, worked in the beauty industry at L’Oréal, Teen Vogue, and Glossier long before starting her own brand. Now the clean beauty brand that celebrates melanin-rich skin has a devoted group of followers and success. The lip treatment oil is one of the most popular products for its cushiony texture that hydrates lips, along with the Desert Date Cream Multistick, which was one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2023. This brand also won a 2024 Oprah Beauty O-Ward.

This 100 percent cruelty-free, vegan makeup brand was founded by Cashmere Nicole in 2011. She fought to grow the line for five years, even when she had breast cancer in 2012. Now, Beauty Bakerie is a multimillion-dollar business, with makeup product names inspired by Nicole’s love of sweets. Its signature item? The”lip whip” no-smudge liquid lipsticks. We also love the Flour Finishing Powder, which comes in shades for fair, medium, and deep skin.

“Founded in 1973 by the incomparable Eunice Johnson, Fashion Fair was the first international prestige cosmetics brand for darker skin tones sold globally in stores from Neiman Marcus to Printemps,” the website reads. “The brand broke racial barriers in business, and boldly established a new affirmation of Black beauty.” Fashion Fair CEO and co-owner Desiree Rogers even shared some of her favorite items, including this richly pigmented lipstick, the priming serum, and setting powder.

Tuhlz (pronounced tools) was founded by professional makeup artist May Cintron, who wanted to create high-quality and accessible makeup tools for everyone. Enter: the Abstract Sponge. It’s designed to blend, perfect, and set makeup all over your face with ease. Its pointed flat tip fits perfectly under the eyes, while the larger end is great for bigger areas of the face.

Pat McGrath is one of the most influential and sought-after makeup artists in the beauty industry. In 2015, she debuted Pat McGrath Labs, which now offers an array of beautifully pigmented makeup. You can’t go wrong with any of her offerings, whether it’s the long-wearing foundation, ultra-pigmented eyeshadow palettes, or radiant blushes.

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty came on the market with a bang in 2017 when it offered 40 different shades of foundation, debuting at Sephora. Now, much like its A-list founder, the makeup brand is a dominant force, with a plethora of other products, and helped Rih earn her reported $1.4 billion fortune as of 2024, according to Forbes. The brand launched a hydrating and lightweight concealer that offers a natural real-skin finish that’s just beautiful, and the brand was the recipient of a 2024 Oprah Beauty O-Ward.

Founder Melissa Butler started Lip Bar in 2012 after becoming “frustrated” with how few lipstick options worked for women of color. But despite being rejected on Shark Tank in 2016, Butler’s business flourished and the natural lipstick line brought in nearly half a million in 2018, according to Forbes. It’s now expanded its line beyond lipsticks and offers a mix of face, eye, and lip products.

Mented was founded by two Harvard graduates who were looking for the perfect nude lipstick for darker skin tones. Now, in addition to lipsticks, they manufacture everything from blush to eyeshadow palettes. In fact, Oprah selected the holiday lip trio as one of her Favorite Things in 2020. All the brand’s products, which are sold at Ulta, are free of parabens and animal by-products.

Owner Jasmine Rose founded Laws of Nature after a long search for beauty products that didn’t contain parabens, talc, and lead. She now makes her own organic, natural mineral foundation and powders for women of all skin tones.

According to the website, Juvia’s Place was “created to celebrate the rebels, rulers, and queens of the African kingdoms who honored beauty through their innovative and soulful techniques that we still use today.” The brand offers super-pigmented makeup (including eyeshadows and highlighters) to pop against the deepest of skin tones.

Despite serving Black women with their diverse shades for more than 25 years, the time-tested brand wasn’t Black-owned until 2019, when businesswomen and co-owners Desiree Rogers and Cheryl Mayberry McKissack took over as CEO and president, respectively. The full-coverage creamy foundation sticks are one of the brand’s bestsellers and are suitable for all skin types.

Not only does this makeup brand deliver bold, pigmented eyeshadow palettes, but it also has an array of budget-friendly faux-mink lashes. This festive product with a 100% cotton band is also non-toxic, cruelty-free, and vegan.

In June 2020, the brand launched its #MyShadeIsEverything campaign. “Our consumers of color are always top of mind,” Black Radiance Beauty told Essence. “And the brand wants to show up for the Black community during this time by highlighting the importance of staffing Black models, makeup artists, and hairstylists for beauty campaigns.” Shop a diverse selection of complexion, eyes, lips, and even skincare products.

The brand is named after its founder, esteemed makeup artist Danessa Myricks, who thrived in roles at brands like Benefit Cosmetics and KISS. “All products by Danessa Myricks Beauty are multi-functional and created to work in multiple places and on all faces,” the website reads. One thing about this beauty brand? You’ll never be disappointed by its effortless application, pigmentation, and wear.

While working in the fashion industry, founder and CEO Alicia Scott noticed that at both runway shows and photo shoots, there was a severe lack of options for various skin tones. Additionally, many products contributed to flare-ups of her eczema and acne. That’s when Range Beauty was born, a clean makeup brand with diverse options.

Cay Skin is a brand by supermodel, inclusive beauty activist, and influencer Winnie Harlow that offers “suncare” and “after suncare” products that won’t give your skin a white hue, among other benefits. This lip balm can be used multiple times a day, every day.

This cruelty-free, vegan, transfer-resistant eye pencil conveniently includes a sharpener and a sponge-tip applicator. Retired tennis icon Serena Williams’ beauty company offers “makeup made to move in.” Oprah Daily Editor at Large Gayle King is a fan of WYN, and this specific product was a 2024 Oprah Beauty O-Ward winner.

This vibrant liquid lipstick features clean ingredients. CEO Camille Bell and CBO Johnny Velazquez co-founded this self-proclaimed “Pro-Queer. Pro-Black. Pro-Fat.” brand. Given her personal experience with lipstick shades, Bell was motivated by a viral tweet urging beauty companies to create lipsticks that appear as marketed to everyone, no matter their skin tone. She also thinks brands haven’t conceptualized that both lip tone and skin tone influence how products look on consumers.